Display box



y 7, 1955 F. E. MARSH 2,708,508

DISPLAY BOX Filed Aug. 10, 1951 11W 'EN TOR. fia zc/s 5 Mme? BY QQWAZZZM DISPLAY BOX Francis E. Marsh, Lockport, N. Y., assignor toWarner Jewelry Case Company Application August 10, 1951, Serial No.241,190 9 Claims. (Cl. 20645.13)

This invention relates to a display box and more particularly to onewhich will lend itself to the plastic molding art which is much usedtoday in the manufacture of jewelry display boxes because of theireconomy in manufacture and their value in display.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved jewelry box whichis compact when closed and yet will effectively display its contentsprominently and without having the box cover, when opened, extend toohigh above the display.

It is another object of the invention to provide a display case havingimproved means for disposing the contents advantageously for displaypurposes in conjunction with the opening movement of its lid or cover.

it is still another object of the invention to provide a display casehaving improved means of maintaining the lid in open and closedpositions and, further, to provide a display case of practical andsimple construction, the parts of which may be manufactured andassembled expeditiously and with ease.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional bodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a partially sectioned plan view of the jewel box taken abouton line ll-Ii of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of part of the snap action mechanismof Figs. 1 and 2.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a jewelry display box havinga body portion 1 of generally rectangular box form supported by cornerlegs 2. The body 1 is formed with a rectangular well 3 which occupiesmost of its top side except for a shelf portion 3a that borders theforward edge of the well. A cover 4 is provided for the body 1 and ishinged thereto along the back edge as by means of a pair of shorttrunnions 5, and a tiltable display tray 6 is provided to be ested inthe well 3. The body portion 1, the cover 4, and the display tray 6 ofthe illustrated jewelry box may be advantageously molded from plasticmaterial. The tray may be hinged to the front portion of the body 1, asby means of a decorative finishing fabric or lining 7 which is glued tothe shelf 30 and to the adjacent areas of the tray. Thus the lining 7serves as a fabric hinge 7a and may be continued across the tray 6 to arear shelf 6a thereof to provide a finishing cover for the jewelryreceiving cushion. If desired, the lining may be slotted as at 7b tohold and display an article of jewelry such as the ring R.

According to the invention, the cover 4 is interconnected with thetilta'ole dispiay tray 6 by means of a lever or crank arm 8 whichextends from the cover 4 to be actuated thereby, and a transverselyarranged spring member 9 carried by its free end. The spring preferablyconsists of a straight length of wire. The cover actuated arm 8 may beanchored in the cover by being molded in view of a jewelry display boxemarticle storing positions.

place; however, in the illustrated embodiment the cover is molded with aslot 10 in its back wall, and thereafter the arm 8 is fitted therein.The side walls 11 of the display tray 6 extend rearwardly beyond thecushion-con- 12 thereof and are formed with a pair of rearwardly openingslots 13 which loosely receive and journal the opposite ends of thespring member 9.

The cover 4 is movable from the closed position shown in full line inFig. 1 to an open position shown in phantom, further opening movementbeing prevented by a stop shoulder 14 on the rear wall of the bodymember 1 adjacent the cover hinge 5. The shape and size of the coveractuated arm 8 relative to the locations of the spring receiving slots13 and the hinging axes of the display tray the spring wire are held intheir respec- The spring therefore serves a dual purpose in bothpositions of the cover, first, to resiliently support the tray in itstilted displaying position and, second, to yield ably hold the cover inits open position. Likewise, when the cover is closed the spring Bybeing so elevated, the display tray is so related to the raised cover asto cause the latter to afiord a framed appearance for the display.

It will be observed that the display case can be made with very fewparts and that these parts are of such mechanical simplicity that theymay be readily stamped, molded, methods.

contents of the case upon and for secure retention of both the tiltabletray and the cover in their article presenting and The invention is welladapted to a dealers display case for jewelry since when in its openposition it presents the displayed article at a prorninent andadvantageously light reflecting position. It is also well adapted to allmannerpf other ornamental and utilitarian cases and containers. Thus itwill be appreciated that while only one embodiment of the invention hasbeen illustrated and described in detail, it may readily assume otherforms within the scope of the appended Claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A display box having an open top body having a well, a lid hinged tosaid body, a display member within the well hinged to said body forbeing raised therefrom to a tilted displaying position, a spring wiresupported at spaced points on the display member in opposition to the llid hinge, and a crank arm fixed to the lid for swinging arcuatelytherewith and connected to the spring wire at a point intermediate saidpoints of support, said arm and said wire being adapted to move thedisplay member to a tilted position by force transmission from the armthrough the wire as the lid is being opened, said crank arm having anarcuate path located for laterally stressing the spring wire as theparts so move, said stress being maximum intermediate the opened andclosed positions of the lid.

2. A display box having an open top body having a well, a lid hinged tosaid body, a display member within the well hinged to said body forbeing raised therefrom to a tilted displaying position, a pair of slotsat spaced points on the display member in opposition to the lid hingeopening generally toward the lid hinge, a spring wire journaled in theslots, said wire having a straight normal set, a third slot in the lidintermediate said pair of slots on the display member and openinggenerally toward the display member, a crank arm carried in said thirdslot for swinging arcuately with the lid and connected to the springwire at a point intermediate said journal points for moving the displaymember to its tilted position when the lid is being opened, and stopmeans adapted to define the fully opened position of the lid, said crankarm having an arcuate path located for stressing said spring wire towardthe display member into bow shaped deformation curving beyond saidjournal points throughout all positions of the lid and for imparting amaximum lateral stressing to the spring wire intermediate said fullyopened and fully closed positions of the lid.

3. A display box having an open top body having a well, a lid hinged tosaid body, a display member within the well hinged to said body forbeing raised therefrom to a tilted displaying position, a pair of slotsat spaced points on the display member in opposition to the lid hingeopening generally toward the lid hinge, a length of spring wirejournaled in the slots, a third slot in the lid intermediate said pairof slots on the display member and I opening generally toward thedisplay member, and a crank arm carried in said third slot for swingingarcuately with the lid and connected to the spring wire at a pointintermediate said journal points for moving the display member to itstilted position when the lid is being opened, said crank arm having anarcuate path located for stressing said spring wire toward the displaymember into bow shaped deformation curving beyond said journal pointsthroughout all positions of the lid and f r imparting a maximum lateralstressing to the spring wire intermediate the opened and closedpositions of the lid.

4. A jewelry box comprising a body, a cover hinged thereto for swingingbackwardly to an open position, a display tray hingedly mounted in thebody for tilting forwardly to a display position, drive meansinterconnecting the cover and the tray and adapted to coordinate theswinging of the cover with the tilting of the tray, said drive meanscomprising an elongate spring supported at its opposite ends on the rearportion of the tray, and a lever arm cantilever fixed to the cover andconnected to the intermediate portion of the spring and adapted to flexsuch portion laterally through a position of maximum spring distortionas the cover is opened or closed.

5. A display box having an open top body having a well, a lid hinged tosaid body, a display member within the well hinged to said body forbeing raised therefrom to a tilted displaying position, a pair of slotsat spaced points on the display member in opposition to the lid hingeopening generally toward the lid hinge, a spring wire having a normallystraight set journaled in the slots, at third slot in the lidintermediate said pair of slots and opening generally toward the displaymember, and a crank arm carried in said third slot for swingingareuately with the lid and connected to the spring wire at a pointintermediate the journal points of said wire in said pair of slots formoving the display member to a tilted position when the lid is beingopened, said crank arm having an arcuate path located for stressing saidspring wire toward the display member into bow shaped deformationcurving beyond said journal points throughout all positions of the lid.

6. A display box comprising a body, a cover hinged thereto, a displaymember hinged in said body for tilting on an axis substantially parallelto the hinge axis of the cover, an elongate flexible beam shaped springsupported at its opposite ends on said display member intermediate saidaxes and generally parallel thereto, and a lever arm fixed to the coverfor angular movement therewith and extending into connection with anintermediate portion of the spring.

7. A jewelry display box comprising a body, a cover clement hinged toone side thereof, a tray element hinged to the opposite side thereof,the two hinge axes lying substantially parallel, a spring extendingsubstantially parallel to the axes and having its opposite endssupported on the tray element to one side of the plane of the axes, anda lever arm carried by the cover element and connected at its outer endto the medial portion of the spring at said side of the plane forresiliently flexing it laterally as the cover element is opened, theouter end of the arm together with the connected medial portion of thespring moving through the plane to the opposite side thereof duringopening movement of the cover element to yieldably hold the latter openand to react upon the tray ele ment for yieldably supporting it tilted.

8. A jewelry display box comprising a body, a cover element hinged toone side thereof, a tray element hinged to the opposite side thereof,the two hinge axes lying substantially parallel, and a combined snapaction and tray tilting unit connecting the two elements and including aspring extending substantially parallel to the axes and having itsopposite ends supported on one of the elements to one side of the planeof the axes and suspending a laterally flexible and resilient medialportion, and a lever arm fixed on the other of said elements and havingits outer end disposed to said side of the plane and con nected to themedial portion for effecting a maximum distortion of the latter when thecover is moved between its opened and closed positions, said medialportion resiliently acting normally on the lever arm in both the openedand closed positions of the cover to yieldably react on both the coverelement and the tray element.

9. A jewelry display box comprising a body, a cover element hinged toone side thereof, a tray element hinged to the opposite side thereof,the two hinge axes lying substantially parallel, and a combined snapaction and tray tilting unit connecting the two elements and including aspring extending substantially parallel to the axes and having itsopposite ends supported on the tray element to one side of the plane ofthe axes and suspending a laterally flexible and resilient medialportion, and a lever arm fixed on the cover element and having its outerend disposed to said side of the plane and connected to the medialportion for effecting a maximum distortion of the latter when the coveris moved between its opened and closed positions, said medial portionresiliently acting normally on the lever arm in both the opened andclosed positions of the cover to yieldably react on both the coverelement and the tray element, said lever arm extending underneath aportion of the tray when the cover is closed to lift upwardly thereon asthe cover is opened.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS SegalApr. 5, 1938 Warner et a1 Apr. 9, 1940 6 Lebus Mar. 9, 1943 Larson Sept.25, 1945 Byrd Aug. 2, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Jan. 12, 1928France Feb. 25, 1946

